Identify the User Population

Define your users in a broad sense that identifies their  key characteristics

Strategies

• Interviews or observations of user groups

• Demographic research

Step 1. State the user population in a single sentence

Examples:

1. Music lovers between the 15-30 years old who are tech savvy, and listen to music on a smartphone.

2. Business class fliers on long-haul flights (over 8 hours) who need to arrive rested and prepared at their destination.

3. Parents with young children between the ages of 12-36 months who enjoy the outdoor activities like hiking and biking with their children

Classify the user group(s)

Consider the different types of groups your users could be classified into. 

• Inward Homogeneity: What are the common characteristics they share within their group?

• Outward Heterogeneity: What are the characteristics that make them different from other user populations?

Common categories include: Age, Gender, Interests,  Occupation, and Physical ability.

Strategies

Based on your research and observation, list the inward homogeneous characteristics and outward heterogeneous characteristics of your group.

Step 2: List the key characteristics of your user groups(s)

Examples: 

1. Men; over 45 years old; suffering from severe arthritis in wrists and hands; like to cook at home and prepare meat dishes such as steak for family and friends

2. Women, between 20-40; new mothers; avid runners and fitness buffs; value high performance sports equipment

3. Teachers; Women and Men; Between 17-35; tech savvy; own 2-3 digital devices (smartphone, laptop, tablet); produce and share video and images to share online to document student work

In some cases, a product might have two or more distinct user groups. Using the example of business class seating on an airplane, the users groups could be:

1. Business class passengers; Men and women; 30-60 years of age; fly more than once a month; prioritize arriving at destination well-rested and prepared for business meetings; often travels with a colleague; Prefers to work and collaborate during flight

2. Stewards in Business class; Men and women; 25-45 years of age; fly 4-6 times a week; responsible for assisting passengers in all phases of travel; work in a small team of 2-3 stewards

3. Airplane Cleaning Staff; Men and women; 30-50 years of age; clean many different aircraft daily; prioritize efficiency and being able to clean aircraft as quickly as possible; work in teams of 8-11.

Implication for Design

Now that the user group has been defined based on research and observation, it is time to consider the broad implications for the design opportunities, considerations, and even specifications. Broadly, these implications may fall into the following categories.

• • Ergonomic

  • Performance

  • Aesthetic

Step 3: List broad  implications for design opportunities, considerations, and specifications. These can be either statements or questions to guide further research.

Examples: 

• Ergonomic: What particular ergonomic considerations need to be considered? For example,

  • For users with arthritis in their hands, what specific ergonomic considerations are required?

  • What ergonomic considerations are required for a baby seat in a jogging stroller? 

• Performance: What does the product need to do in order to meet the needs of the user group? For example:

  • A business class airline passenger might require a flat surface to work on a laptop.

  • A student travelling from class to class might require a light, portable laptop stand that can easily fit into her backpack. What is the average size of a laptop that laptop stand needs to support?

• Aesthetics: What aesthetic considerations should be part of the design?

  • The user group for a high end jogging stroller may prefer smooth, light, and strong materials that are colored in neutral colors.

  •  How does the color, texture, form, etc., of the product match the user group or their needs?

Create a Personae

Create a Personae that captures your research, observation and analysis of the users.

Step 4: Create a Personae that describes the typical user. Include the following elements

Essential elements of a personae

• Name 

• Age

• Photo

• Personal information

• Work environment (if relevant)

  • focus on tools and conditions of work

• Computer proficiency (if relevant)

• Challenges and frustrations

  • focus on the difficulties they encounter in trying to accomplish their goals or work 

• Attitudes 

• Motivation or "trigger" for using a product

• Information-seeking habits and favourite resources

• Personal and/or professional goals

• Quotes

Resource

• Persona Template at Extensio: Sign-up for free to access the template. Start building your personae

• Creating Effective Persona at InteractiveDesign.org: Good guidance for developing effective personae.